What’s That Itching in My Ear?

Imagine the horror of finding a spider living inside your ear. That was exactly the case for one Chinese woman this week. The unidentified woman had been suffering from some ear irritation for five days when she finally decided to seek medical attention. Dr. Liu Sheng, the woman’s physician at China’s Changsha Central Hospital, looked inside the woman’s ear and was horrified to find a spider looking back at her.

Dr. Sheng chose to flush the spider out with some saline solution, as opposed to removing it with surgical tools. After the saline flushing, the spider crawled out and the women reportedly cried tears of joy.

Why Spiders Like Ears

The spider likely crawled into the women’s ear canal while she was sleeping. Spiders, and other insects, will crawl into an ear looking for warmth, moisture, and harborage. An ear canal closely resembles the borough of many different kinds of spiders. Ticks are also common ear inhabitants. Always on the lookout for a generous blood supply, the inner ear and eardrum offer an all-you-can eat smorgasbord for these tiny bloodsuckers.

Removing Spiders from the Ear

Removing spiders and other insects from one’s ear is a very delicate process. If you attempt to remove the new inhabitant with a q-tip or even a surgical tool, you will startle it. A spider will then retreat as far down the ear canal as possible and dig its sharp barbs into the sides of the canal. Flushing the inhabitant with hydrogen peroxide or a saline solution can help evacuate your ear’s new tenant. If you suspect an insect or spider has made your ear it’s new home, please seek the help of a medical doctor.

If you are having an issue with spiders inside your home, contact a pest control professional immediately!